    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 20, 2004]
    [Pages 2608-2620]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion in Rochester, Minnesota
    October 20, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all. Please be
    seated. I might just decide to take off my jacket. We've got some work
    to do.
        As you can see, I'm joined on the platform here with some of your
    fellow citizens. We're going to talk about economic policy and ownership
    and ways to make America a more hopeful place. And we'll be having a
    dialog here in a minute, but I've got something I want to tell you
    first.
        I'd like your help in this election. We're coming down the stretch,
    and I'm here to ask for your help in turning out the vote. Get your
    friends and neighbors to go to the polls. We have a duty in this country
    to participate in our democratic system by voting. And get them going to
    the polls, and when you get them headed there, remind them that if they
    want a safer America and a stronger America and a better America, put me
    and Dick Cheney back in office.
        It is nice to be back in Rochester, and it's great to be back in the
    great State of Minnesota. And there is no doubt, with your help, we will
    carry Minnesota and win a great victory on November the 2d.

        Laura said for me to send her best. I'm sorry
    she's not here. You know, when I--we went to the seventh grade together
    at San Jacinto Junior High in Midland, Texas. And then we got to know
    each other again later on, and she was a public school librarian. And I
    asked her to marry me, of course, and she said, ``Fine, but never make
    me give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, if that's one
    of the conditions, you got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to
    that promise. She's giving a lot of speeches, and when she does, the
    American people see a strong, compassionate, warm, great First Lady. I
    love her dearly. We are enjoying ourselves on this campaign. It's really
    a lot of fun to travel with her, and it's really a lot of fun to travel
    with our daughters, Barbara and Jenna. They're now out campaigning. You know, I told them when
    they were kids, ``We'll go on the great family camping trip.'' This is
    it. [Laughter]

    [[Page 2609]]

        I'm proud to be here with your United States Senator, Norm
    Coleman. I appreciate you, Senator. He's a good
    man. I enjoy working with him. He represents Minnesota in fine fashion.
    And I'm also proud to be here with Gil Gutknecht, the United States Congressman for this area, and Mary--
    where is Mary? Oh, hi, Mary, good to see you
    again. Thanks for coming.
        I want to thank--the Governor is not
    with us. He's doing a great job, though. I appreciate Tim. I enjoy him.
    I like him. I trust him, and so should you. He's doing you a good job.
    I'm sure he's out working a phone bank, turning out that vote. I want to
    thank all the local and State officials who are here.
        I really want to thank the grassroots activists. You never get
    thanked enough for putting up the signs, for making the phone calls, for
    doing all the hard work. I know how hard you are working. I want to
    thank you in advance for the great victory we're going to have here in
    the State of Minnesota.
        I met Sister Chabanel Hayunga today.
    Where are you, Sister? I know she's--you got a terrible seat. [Laughter]
    You would have thought a soldier in the army of compassion would have
    gotten a better seat. I'm going to talk to the advance person here.
    [Laughter] The reason I bring her up is because she is active with the
    Senior Companion Program through Catholic Charities.
        The strength of this country is the hearts and souls of our
    citizens. That is the strength of America. We've got a great military,
    and we'll keep it strong. We've got a world-class economy that's
    growing. We'll keep it strong. But the true strength of this society of
    ours is the fact that there are millions among us who love a neighbor
    just like they'd like to be loved themselves. America can change and
    will change, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time, because of
    the deep compassion of people like the Sister. She, of course, says--typical of a true soldier in
    the army of compassion--out here on the runway when we had our picture
    taken at Air Force One, she said, ``I am here representing the thousands
    of people in Minnesota who volunteer to make society a better place.''
        You have set such a clear example, for which we are grateful. Thank
    you, Sister, for what you do.
        The President's job is to solve problems. We had a serious problem
    when it came to our economy. The stock market had been in significant
    decline 6 months prior to my arrival--I want you to remind your friends
    and neighbors of that--which foretold a recession that took place. And
    then we had some corporate scandals which affected our economy. We
    passed tough laws that made it clear to people we will not tolerate
    dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. That ought to be now abundantly
    clear. And then we got attacked, and those attacks cost our economy one
    million jobs in the weeks after September the 11th.
        But we acted. I led; the Congress responded with tax relief. And the
    tax relief was vital. The tax relief encouraged consumption. It
    encouraged investment. And the recession was one of the shallowest in
    American history.
        And the facts are clear. When you get through all the political
    noise, the facts are clear. Our economy is growing at rates as fast as
    any in nearly 20 years. We've added 1.9 million new jobs since August of
    2003. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than
    the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. Your
    unemployment rate in Minnesota is 4.5 percent. The farm income is up.
    Homeownership is at an alltime high. We're moving forward. We have
    overcome problems. There's more work to be done, but think about where
    we have been and where we're going. And we're not going to go back to
    the days of tax and spend. We're not going to go back to the days of the
    policies that stifle the entrepreneurial spirit.
        So the fundamental question in this campaign, after I've shown
    people I can lead

    [[Page 2610]]

    and solve problems is, what else are we going to do? I'll tell you what
    else we're going to do. We're going the make sure we get an energy
    policy to my desk. I proposed a plan over 2 years ago that encourages
    conservation, that uses renewables like ethanol and biodiesel, that uses
    technologies for clean coal technology, that says we can explore for
    environmentally friendly ways for natural gas, a plan that recognizes we
    must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        In order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to keep opening
    up markets for Minnesota farmers and entrepreneurs and small-business
    owners. See, the tendency in American politics is to fall prey to
    economic isolationism. That would be bad for our workers. It would be
    bad for our consumers. The Presidents before me have opened up our
    markets, and I'm happy to open up markets too. It's in our consumers'
    interests. If you have more products to choose from, you're likely to
    get that which you want at a better price and better quality. See, it's
    in your interests. And so I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat
    us the way we treat you. You open up your markets just like we've opened
    up our markets.'' And I say that with confidence because we can compete
    with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the rules are fair.
        And I want our soybean growers here in Minnesota to understand that
    one reason your prices are such that you can make a living is because
    you're selling soybeans to China. See, they're using your soybeans. It's
    essential you have a President who understands what free trade means to
    people from all sectors of our economy.
        I'll tell you what else we need to do to make sure jobs stay here in
    America and the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We've got to do
    something about the regulations that plague our business and job
    creators and something about these frivolous lawsuits that are making it
    hard for small businesses to expand their businesses.
        To keep jobs here, we've got to be wise about how we spend your
    money and keep your taxes low. And taxes are an issue in this campaign.
    See, I'm running against a fellow who has
    promised $2.2 trillion worth of new spending. That's a lot. That's with
    a ``T.'' [Laughter] That's a lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts.
    [Laughter] So they asked him, ``How are you going to pay for it? How are
    you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, we'll just tax the rich, raise
    the top two brackets.'' Let me tell you at least two things--three
    things wrong with that. First of all, you got to believe him that he's
    going to tax. You know, he's one of the first--one of the few
    Presidential candidates to ever promise raising taxes in a Presidential
    campaign, and that's a promise most politicians are happy to keep.
        First of all, you can't pay for $2.2 trillion worth of new spending
    by raising the top two brackets. You fall short by about $800 billion.
    There's a gap between what is promised and what is deliverable.
    Actually, it's 1.4 trillion you fall short, beg your pardon, and so
    guess who usually gets to fill that gap between what is promised and
    what is capable of delivering? You do.
        Secondly, when you're taxing the rich, you're taxing about 900,000
    small-business owners. Most small businesses are Subchapter S
    corporations or limited partnerships. And they pay tax at the individual
    income-tax level, which means you're running up the taxes on the job
    creators. We're about to talk to somebody, you know, one of these people
    who are going to be affected by the top two brackets.
        Thirdly, the rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to
    stick you with the tab. We're not going to let him tax you, because we're going to win Minnesota on November
    the 2d and carry this country.
        Let me talk about a couple of other issues. I want to talk about
    health issues. This is a good place to talk about health. Mayo Clinic,
    one of the great clinics--we

    [[Page 2611]]

    always want our country to be on the leading edge of change when it
    comes to providing good medicine for our people. My mother keeps telling me what to say when it comes to Mayo
    Clinic. [Laughter]
        So there is a fundamental difference of philosophy in this campaign
    about health care. I believe health care ought to be a commonsense
    approach, not one that increases the scope and power of the Federal
    Government. We ought to be worried about a health care system that moves
    people from private care to federally controlled health care because
    what that will lead to is rationing, bad decisionmaking. It will take
    the consumer totally out of the equation. Other countries have tried
    centralized health care, and it has failed. And the health care systems
    have slowly but surely declined in the quality of health care.
        I have a different--and make no mistake about it, my
    opponent's program does that. He actually--he
    said in the camera at one of our debates, he said, ``My plan is not a
    Government plan.'' You know, I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] I
    understand the nature of his plan. When you increase Medicare--Medicaid
    availability, it provides an excuse for small-business owners to no
    longer provide insurance for their employees because the Government will
    pick it up. See, 8 out of 10 new people subscribed to health care under
    his plan would end up on Federal rolls. That is an increase in the role
    of the Federal Government.
        Here's a different approach. One, we'll make sure health care is
    available. We'll take care of the poor and the indigent through
    community health centers. Every poor county in America ought to have a
    community health center, places where people can get good preventative
    and primary care. It is a good use of your money to make sure the poor
    and the indigent get good primary and preventative care. We'll make sure
    our programs for children in low-income families are fully subscribed
    to. But to make sure health care is affordable--that's what we need to
    address, the cost of health care.
        Part of the reason health care costs are high is because third-party
    payers make the payment. There is no market discipline. There is no real
    demand--focus on demand in health care. That's why I believe in health
    savings accounts, tax-free plans to allow the decisionmaker to be you, a
    plan you own, a plan you carry with you from job to job, a plan in which
    you're totally in charge of.
        Secondly, health care costs are up because of lawsuits. Make no
    mistake about it, junk lawsuits against our doctors are running up the
    cost of your health care. They're making it hard for small businesses to
    be able to afford insurance, and they're running good doctors out of
    practice. You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at
    the same time. You have to choose. You have to choose. My
    opponent made his choice, and he put a
    personal injury trial lawyer on the ticket. I
    made my choice. I am standing with our doctors and our patients. I
    support medical liability reform--now.
        Two other ways to address the cost of health care: One is speed up
    generic drugs to the market. Plus, I support these Minnesota
    Congressman and Senator's idea of importation of drugs from Canada, so long as
    it's safe. We want you to take drugs that cure you, not harm you. I have
    a duty--it's easy for some in Congress to be calling for importation.
    I'm just going to make sure, before they come in, we know exactly what
    we're importing. You want to make sure that that which comes in from
    Canada is actually manufactured in Canada. You don't want to be buying
    something from a Third World country. And so we want to be safe. We want
    to make sure we do the right thing.
        And fourthly, medicine, in all due respect, is like going back to
    the horse-and-buggy days when it comes to the use of information
    technology. I mean, you know, there's a lot of files that are
    handwritten

    [[Page 2612]]

    still, and you can't even read a doctor's writing most of the time.
    [Laughter] So I believe in electronic medical records. I know we need to
    have a common language all across the medical field. They estimate that
    over 20 to 30 percent of the costs can be wrung out of the system with
    the proper use of information technology. This is an exciting new era
    available for medicine. You just need a President who understands how to
    address the root causes of costs going up. And that's how you avoid
    federalizing health care, and that's how you put in place commonsense
    policies that makes sure the decisions are always made by doctor and
    patient, not by officials in our Nation's Capital.
        A couple of other points I want to make very quickly--kind of
    getting wound up here--[laughter]--you notice the temperature in the
    room is rising. [Laughter] One, education is vital to make sure that we
    have a hopeful America. The No Child Left Behind Act that we passed is a
    great piece of legislation. It challenges the soft bigotry of low
    expectations. It increases Federal spending but in return says, ``Show
    us. Measure and let us know whether a child can read and write and add
    and subtract.'' And we've got to find that out early. We cannot have a
    system that just simply shuffles kids through the system and hope we get
    it right. We need to know if we're getting it right. You can't solve a
    problem unless you've diagnosed it, and now we're diagnosing problems
    early. We're providing extra money for at-risk students and students who
    need extra help.
        And there's an achievement gap closing in America, and it's vital.
    You know how we know? We measure. We can determine whether a child can
    read. And reading scores are going up for kids that have generally been
    shuffled through the school system. And we're not going to go back to
    the days of mediocrity and low standards. We're making progress, and
    America is better off for it.
        So we're going to talk about education today. See, one of the things
    we've got to do is make sure education is not only strong for our kids;
    we've got to make sure education is available for all our citizens,
    because in a changing world--and the world is changing--the jobs of the
    21st century oftentimes require a new skill set. For those of you
    involved with medicine know exactly what I'm talking about. Medicine is
    changing, and there constantly needs to be an upgrading of skills. And a
    great place to do that and a wonderful way to make sure people have got
    the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century is through our
    community college system. I'm a big backer of the community college
    system, and we're going to talk to a community college student here
    today about what it means to go back to school.
        One other thing I want to talk about right quick, and that is Social
    Security. A President must solve problems, must confront problems, not
    pass them on to future Presidents or future generations. We have a
    problem in Social Security, and that is, when baby boomers like me
    retire, younger workers are going to have trouble paying for us and,
    therefore, have money available when they retire. That's just the facts.
        Now, first, I want to address kind of the typical old-style, stale
    politics, and that is the politics of scare tactics towards Social
    Security. When I ran in 2000, I suspect here in the State of Minnesota--
    I know in other States--they ran ads saying, ``If George W. gets
    elected, the seniors will not get their checks.'' I want you to remind
    your friends and neighbors, the seniors got their checks. Nobody's going
    to take away the Social Security check from our seniors. The fund has
    got enough money, and baby boomers like me are in good shape.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when
    it comes to Social Security. Social Security will not be there when they
    need it if we don't think differently. That is why I believe younger
    workers ought to be able to take some of

    [[Page 2613]]

    their payroll taxes and set up a personal savings account, a personal
    savings account that will earn a better rate of return than the current
    Social Security trust, an account they call their own, an account the
    Government cannot take away.
        You know, I like to tell people that no one ever washes a rental
    car. [Laughter] There's wisdom in that. If you own something, you tend
    to wash it. If you own something, you have a vital stake in the future
    of our country. You know, one of the most heartwarming things about our
    society is when I hear people own something. They've started their own
    business, for example, or own their own home. We're going to talk to an
    owner right here, and that would be Jon Eckhoff.
        Jon, thank you for coming. Please tell us
    the name of your company, and are you the owner? And if you're the
    owner, how did you end up owning it? [Laughter]
        Jon Eckhoff. Thank you for the introduction.
    Thank you. I am the owner of Venture Computer Systems, along with three
    other people, two of which are in the audience. And how did it get
    started? Well, that could be a complex story, but let's just say that I
    came to Rochester 16 years ago to work for the Mayo Clinic, a dream job
    for a kid from Iowa. And it was a great job, but I was always restless.
    I always wanted to do something on my own. So in an unfinished corner of
    my basement, I put up a whiteboard, and I bought a computer, and I
    started meeting. Some of the people in this room probably were in my
    basement in the beginning of Venture Computer Systems.
        The President. It's a classic, right, the old kitchen table, the
    garage, in this case, the basement. [Laughter] That's what happens.
    Don't you love to live in a country where old Jon says, you know, ``I've got a dream. I want to start my
    own business''? The role of the Government is to create an environment.
        What do you do? I mean, like, here's your chance to sell some
    products. [Laughter] It's a marketing opportunity.
        Mr. Eckhoff. Let's take it. Well, Venture
    Computer Systems sells computers, network security products to
    businesses like the ones that people in this room own. In fact, I
    recognize many of my customers, and if you're not my customer, give me a
    call after the--[laughter].
        The President. No wonder he's successful. He
    gets on the President's time and sells some products. [Laughter]
        So, let me ask you something. How many employees you got?
        Mr. Eckhoff. We have 30 employees in Venture
    Computer Systems.
        The President. See, that's classic small business, isn't it? Thirty
    employees. Did you hire any this year?
        Mr. Eckhoff. We're going to add three more
    before December 31st.
        The President. Three more? For the year?
        Mr. Eckhoff. For the year.
        The President. Yes, see, that's what's happening all across America,
    by the way. When the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, when people are
    upbeat about the future, they hire people. Do you realize 70 percent of
    new jobs in America are created by small businesses like Jon's--70
    percent. The job creators in America are the small-business owners of
    America. So let me ask you something. How are you organized legally?
        Mr. Eckhoff. Well, we're an S corporation.
        The President. S corp. See, now let me explain what that means.
    That's legalese. I'm not even a lawyer. Anyway--but I do understand
    facts. If you're an S corporation, they pay tax at the individual
    income-tax level. So when you hear my opponent
    say, ``Oh, we're just going to tax the rich''--that means anybody that's
    got income over $200,000 a year--I want you to remind your friends and
    neighbors he's talking about taxing job creators. It makes no sense to
    run up the taxes on somebody like Jon

    [[Page 2614]]

    and his company as they're gaining steam, as they're hiring new people.
    If you take money out of his treasury, it's less
    likely he's going to hire somebody.
        Let me ask you something--one other point I want to make. Part of
    good tax policy encourages good decisionmaking. And so part of the tax
    policy we had, we said, if you invest--in other words, if you purchase
    something--you're going to get a little tax break for small businesses.
        Did you purchase anything?
        Mr. Eckhoff. Yes, sir, we did. We purchased
    a variety of things. We used that money to buy a new truck. A lot of
    people have seen the Venture Computer Systems truck in the neighborhood.
        The President. Always selling. Go ahead. [Laughter] Go ahead, what
    else did you buy?

    [At this point, Mr. Eckhoff made further remarks.]

        The President. What he's doing is he's
    buying equipment to make his workforce more productive. And when the
    workforce becomes more productive, A, it means the worker is going to
    make more money, and B, it means he's going to stay in business. See, a
    open market is one where you compete, and you're constantly trying to
    get better. It's in the consumer's interest that he gets better. It
    means he gives a better product. Tax policy encouraged him to make
    certain decisions. He said he bought a truck. Well, remember, somebody
    has to make the truck. And when somebody makes the truck, it means the
    decision he made means that somebody is more likely to keep a job.
        The tax policy we passed not only helped in a large sense; the tax
    policy we passed made the entrepreneurial spirit shine even more
    brightly in America. And more and more people are starting their small
    businesses today, which is great for our country.
        Michele Clements is with us. All right,
    Michele, what did you used to do?
        Michele Clements. I was a full-time
    employee at a local electronics manufacturing plant here in Rochester.
    And in February of 2003, they laid us all off and sent our jobs
    overseas.
        The President. Right. So this is the classic case of somebody being
    affected by jobs going overseas. The fundamental question is what does
    society do about it without harming our markets and our economy? What do
    you do about it? Well, the first thing you do about it is you make sure
    this is the best place in the world to do business. You make sure it's
    the best place for jobs to continue to grow here. You make sure
    Jon is optimistic so he continues to grow his
    jobs. But also, you've got to help people.
        And so what happened?
        Mrs. Clements. Well, after we found out
    we were losing our jobs, we--shortly after that we found out we
    qualified for retraining programs through the Dislocated Worker Program,
    if we wanted to go back to school to further our education and get back
    into the workforce.
        The President. Right. Right. And so, like, you hadn't been in school
    for a while. I'm not going to ask you how long. [Laughter]
        Mrs. Clements. It's been a while.
        The President. It's been a while. You had a husband and two
    daughters, been a mom and everything, and you go back to school. Where?
        Mrs. Clements. Right here at RCTC in
    Rochester.
        The President. Yes, very good. So what was it like? I mean, I'm sure
    people are listening out there who wonder whether or not they could go
    back to school at this point in their life. Was it as tough as you
    thought?
        Mrs. Clements. It was a big step.
        The President. Yes.
        Mrs. Clements. It was not easy to go
    back, but it was well worth it. I'm in the law enforcement program here
    at RCTC. Law enforcement was something that I always wanted to get into,
    but because of

    [[Page 2615]]

    financial and family commitments, I wasn't able to do so. And if it
    wasn't for the funding I received through the retraining program----
        The President. Trade adjustment assistance, retraining programs--
    listen, the Federal Government has got ample money to help people go
    back to school. [Applause] Don't clap for me; clap for her. She's the one who made the decision to go back to
    school. Yes, we can't pass a law that says somebody has got to want to
    improve themselves. But the role of Government is to say, ``Here's an
    opportunity. Here's a chance.''
        And so, you're now doing something--you're being trained for
    something you've always wanted to do, law enforcement. Well, it's a
    noble profession. Thank you for doing it.
        And secondly, what's interesting is, I asked her--kind of none of my business, but you know,
    anyway--I asked her anyway, ``Are you going to make more money?''
        Mrs. Clements. Yes, sir, hopefully at
    least 50 percent more than what I was making at the plant.
        The President. Yes, listen to that. I want everybody to hear that.
    With a little education--in other words, improving skill sets, you make
    more money. By going back to a community college, with Government help,
    you become a more productive worker. And when you become a more
    productive worker, your wage goes up. And her wage went up.
        Let me tell you something else interesting. You know, when we cut
    the taxes, we cut them for everybody who paid taxes. I was one--I'm a
    fellow who believes, if you pay taxes, you ought to get relief. We ought
    not to try to pick and choose winners when it comes to tax relief. But
    we also helped our families. We raised the child credit to $1,000 a
    child. We reduced the penalty on marriage. The code ought to encourage
    marriage, not discourage marriage.
        And this family saved $1,700 a year in
    tax relief, see, and the fundamental question in this campaign is who
    can spend the $1,700 better, this family or the Government? I believe
    this family can spend their money better.
        Good job. Thank you.
        The homeownership rate in America is an alltime high. More and more
    people from all walks of life are owning their homes for the first time.
    And Jill Wooten is with us. She is a first-time
    homeowner. First of all, you work.
        Jill Wooten. I work. I'm a teacher at Gage
    Elementary School--love it.
        The President. Fabulous. Thank you for teaching. Husband,
    Jesse.
        Mrs. Wooten. He's the cute guy in the front
    row right there. [Laughter]
        The President. Having trouble finding one. Oh, there he is. [Laughter] I agree, yes. It's an election year--
    anyway. [Laughter] We just embarrassed Jesse----
        Mrs. Wooten. I know. He's beet-red.
    Shouldn't I be the one red up here?
        The President. No, you're doing great. So why did you all decide to
    buy a home?

    [Mrs. Wooten made further remarks.]

        The President. Isn't that wonderful to hear? You know, there's
    nothing better in a society, where more and more people open up the door
    where they live and say, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
    property.'' If you own something, you care a lot about a lot of things,
    like your future. That's why we want to have people own their own
    savings account--health savings account, so they can manage their health
    care, or own a piece of their retirement, if you're a younger American,
    or own your own business or own your own home. A hopeful America is one
    in which ownership is spread throughout all our society.
        We've got good plans to help people own their home. By the way, this
    family will save $2,500 in 2004 on tax relief. You know, you hear this--
    it matters. The tax

    [[Page 2616]]

    relief helps. It helps the American family be able to realize their
    dreams like owning their own home. And by the way, my opponent voted against every one of these tax reliefs that I
    talked about--voted no when American families were on the line, voted no
    when it came to raising the child credit, voted no when it came to
    reducing the marriage penalty.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. There is a big difference in this campaign. Make no
    mistake about it. Make no mistake about it. There is a different
    philosophy, a different attitude. He trusts
    Government. I trust the people.
        Good job. Really good job.
        The platform wouldn't be complete without a farmer, Duane
    Alberts, Pine Shelter Farms.
        Duane Alberts. That's correct.
        The President. Good, yes. And you do what?
        Mr. Alberts. Well, Mr. President, it's
    time to kill the death tax. I just want to start out that way.
        The President. Well, he's got--the man's
    got an opinion. We've got it--it's on its way to extinction.
    Unfortunately, it pops back up. It's going to be an odd year in 2010.
    You can imagine people--I mean, it goes away in 2010; it pops back up in
    2011. So people are going to have some weird choices in 2010 when it
    comes to the death tax, but never mind. [Laughter] It's a little morbid.
        So why are you that concerned about it? Here's a farmer, a dairy
    farmer, got a lot of money tied up in inventory and land.
        Mr. Alberts. That's correct. I farm in--
    I'm a fifth-generation farmer, a fifth-generation dairy farmer. Some of
    the sixth generation is sitting out here in the second row.
        The President. Let me guess. Oh, yeah.
        Mr. Alberts. I farm in partnership with
    my--in partnership with my father and my two brothers, and we milk 550
    cows. Now, I used to have----
        The President. By hand?
        Mr. Alberts. Not anymore. Not anymore.
    [Laughter] You could ask my father about that, I suppose.
        The President. Good. I just wanted to tell you there's a new kind of
    way to milk if you do.
        Mr. Alberts. But we--but I used to have
    another partner. My uncle passed away 7 years ago, 7 years ago now. It's
    hard to believe it's been that long. But while my Uncle Myron was alive,
    he paid all the taxes, income taxes, Social Security taxes, payroll
    taxes, property taxes, sale taxes. He was loaded with taxes. And when he
    died, the estate tax bill came, and that came to $1,000 per cow.
        The President. See, you can understand why people who farm the land
    or small-business owners that have got their assets--I mean, their money
    tied up in assets are worried about a tax that causes them to have to
    liquidate a herd to pay for it, I guess is what you're saying.
        Mr. Alberts. That's right. That's right.
    It's hard to believe that a tax can be so huge, actually, that farmers,
    ranchers, and small-business men have to buy insurance to pay for it.
        The President. Yes. And so what we've done is we've put the death
    tax on its way to extinction. But I'm telling you, it's coming back,
    unless you have the right President. I think we need to get rid of the
    death tax forever--once and for all.
        People talk about simplifying the code. By the way, the Tax Code
    needs to be simplified. It's a complicated mess. A major portion of the
    Tax Code is the death tax. Once we get rid of that once and for all, it
    will help simplify the code. We need to do more work, don't get me
    wrong. But I want to thank you for sharing.
        People have got to understand the death tax hurts our farmers, hurts
    our small-businessmen. People say we've got to protect the family
    farmer. You can't be a family farmer if you have to liquidate your farm
    in order to pay the death tax.

    [[Page 2617]]

        You got something else you want to say? Good job.
        Mr. Alberts. I do want to stress that my
    uncle did his estate tax planning. He did everything right. He bought
    the insurance, but the annual premiums were $25,000 a year.
        The President. Yes, see, when you get rid of the death tax, you
    don't have to worry about lawyers, and you don't have to worry about
    premiums and insurance. All you've got to worry about is who you want to
    leave your property to. And that is a fundamental American right. You
    ought to be able to leave your property to whoever you want to leave
    your property to. Thank you, sir.
        I've got something else on my mind--two other things on my mind. I
    told you it's a changing world. Some things don't change, the values we
    try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence, and integrity. Our basic
    beliefs don't change. We stand for a culture of life in which every
    person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family,
    which are the foundations of our society. And we stand for the
    appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between personal
    opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        Let me talk about the security of our country right quick. Please be
    seated. This may take a little longer than you hope. [Laughter] The most
    solemn duty of the American President is to protect you, is to protect
    the American people. In this dangerous world--in this dangerous world,
    if our country shows uncertainty or weakness, this world will drift
    toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        I want to share with you some of the lessons of September the 11th.
    First, we face an enemy that has no conscience. They are coldblooded
    killers. They would just as soon kill in a schoolhouse as they would
    bomb the Twin Towers with our airplanes. Therefore, we can never
    negotiate with them. We can never hope for the best. We can never say,
    ``Oh, gosh, well, maybe if we change our behavior, they'll change their
    ways.'' The only way to deal with them is to find them and bring them to
    justice before they hurt us again.
        Secondly, we are fighting a different kind of war, but it is a--this
    war requires a complete strategy. Not only will we continue bringing Al
    Qaida and like terrorists to justice--and by the way, three-quarters of
    them have been brought to justice, and we're after the rest of them--but
    we also must make it clear to others that if you harbor a terrorist,
    you're just as guilty as the terrorist. And when the President says
    something, I think the President must speak clearly and mean what he
    says in order to keep the peace.
        And so I meant what I said to the Taliban who were harboring Al
    Qaida. Remember, thousands of people had been trained in Afghanistan
    under the--with the consent of the Taliban. And so I said to the
    Taliban, ``Get rid of Al Qaida. Join the community of free nations.''
    They ignored our demand, and as a result of the brave actions of the
    United States military, the Taliban have been routed from power, Al
    Qaida training camps were destroyed, and 25 million people lived in a
    free society.
        I want our youngsters here to think about what has happened over a
    course of 3\1/2\ years. Something amazing has taken place, truly
    amazing, in Afghanistan. You know, it wasn't all that young ago that
    young girls couldn't go to school. Two-and-a-half years is really
    nothing in the march of history, when you think about it. And their
    mothers were taken into the public squares and whipped if they didn't
    toe the ideological line of the Taliban, those ideologues of hate.
    Because we acted in our self-interest, because we upheld doctrine, the
    people of Afghanistan went to the polls to vote for a President. The
    first voter was a 19-year-old woman. Think
    about that.
        There weren't a lot of people who believed 3\1/2\ years ago that
    Afghanistan would ever be free, but Afghanistan is free now.

    [[Page 2618]]

    And it's in our interests that they are free. Not only did we uphold
    doctrine, but a free society is one that is now an ally in the war on
    terror. A free society sets such a hopeful example for others. Free
    societies do not export terror. Free societies help defeat the
    hopelessness that enables terrorists to breed. Free societies equal
    peaceful societies.
        The second--the third lesson is that when we see a threat, we must
    deal with it before it fully materializes. Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he hated
    America. He was a threat because he was shooting missiles at American
    airplanes. He was a threat because he harbored terrorists. He was a
    threat because he invaded his neighbors. He was a threat because he had
    used weapons of mass destruction. He was a threat.
        Now, we didn't find the stockpiles we all thought were there. That
    includes me and my opponent. But we did
    realize that he was gaming the Oil for Food Programme to get the world
    to turn a blind eye, to continue to weaken the sanctions so he could
    reconstitute his weapons programs. And the danger America faces is the
    nexus of terrorist organizations and weapons of mass destruction. That's
    a danger. It is a threat.
        We cannot hope for the best in this world--in the post-September the
    11th world. We must deal with every threat. Military is always the last
    option. That's why I went to the United Nations. I was hopeful that
    diplomacy would work. But the 17th resolution failed just like the first
    16 resolutions. We passed the resolution, but Saddam wasn't afraid of a resolution. He wasn't worried about
    the United Nations or the will of the free world, because the will
    didn't mean anything to him in the past. And so he ignored the demands.
    I have a choice to make: Do I trust a madman and forget the lessons of
    September the 11th, or take action to defend this country? Given that
    choice, I will defend America every time.
        And now we're--Iraq is headed toward elections. Remember the
    skepticism about elections in Afghanistan? I do. Well, the same
    skepticism exists about Iraq. Can they ever be free? Do they ever want
    to vote? Of course they do. People want to be free. People love the idea
    of a free society. And so we're headed toward elections, and there are
    people there who are trying to stop them. Freedom is the greatest fear
    these terrorists have. That's why Zarqawi is fighting--Zarqawi who had been in Afghanistan, routed
    out of Afghanistan when his training camp was destroyed, comes to
    Baghdad, gets medical help in Baghdad, working with people in northern
    Iraq, prior to our arrival, on poisons and chemicals, and he's now
    fighting to stop the advance of freedom. He's a known killer.
        And this is where my opponent and I
    disagree. He said, after September the 11th he wasn't fundamentally
    changed. I mean--and it reflects in his policies. He believes that this
    is a war only for intelligence and law enforcement. It is a limited
    point of view, which is a dangerous point of view in the world in which
    we live. He said that Iraq is a ``diversion'' from the war on terror.
    What does he think, Zarqawi has become
    a peaceful citizen? Does he think Zarqawi is going to change his ways?
    Zarqawi wants to destroy American life. Zarqawi was plotting and
    planning to attack us. It is essential we defeat Zarqawi there so we
    don't have to face the likes of him here at home.
        You cannot win a war when you don't believe we're fighting a war,
    and that's the problem with my opponent's
    policies. They're limited in view, and that would lead to a danger for
    America. We must use every asset at our disposal. We must fully
    understand the nature of the enemy. We must take threats seriously
    before they materialize in order to do our duty to protect the American
    people. If we should uncertainty or weakness, this world will drift
    toward tragedy. And the American people

    [[Page 2619]]

    can count on me to show no uncertainty or weakness in protecting you.
        A couple of other points I want to make, and then we'll get out of
    here. When you have troops in harm's way, we have a duty to support
    them. That's why I went to the Congress and asked for $87 billion of
    supplemental funding to support our troops in combat, really important
    money. I want you to remind your friends and neighbors that there were
    only 4 United States Senators--4 out of 100--that voted to authorize the
    use of force and voted against supporting our troops in combat, 2 of
    whom were my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Voted to authorize force and wouldn't support the
    troops. People wonder why he made the vote.
    Well, I'll tell you why: Howard Dean was gaining
    in the Democrat primary. A Commander in Chief has got to stand on
    principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
        Audience member. Whoo!
        The President. Undecided voter. [Laughter]
        I want to share one other thing with you. I have a firm belief in
    the power of liberty to transform societies. At the heart of much of
    what I believe is this strong and unshakeable belief in the ability of
    freedom to change the world.
        Let me share an experience with you that I've had over time as your
    President, and that is my relationship with the Prime Minister of Japan,
    Prime Minister Koizumi. He's a friend of
    Laura and mine, really interesting guy. I like
    him a lot. He's a lot of fun to be around. When I saw him at the United
    Nations, I said, ``You know, I'm traveling our country talking about
    you. I hope you do not mind.'' He said, ``No, go ahead and talk about
    me.'' I didn't ask his permission to tell you Elvis was his favorite
    singer, though--but anyway. [Laughter]
        And it probably doesn't sound too unusual to you that I would say
    that the Prime Minister of Japan is a
    friend, but think about our history, our recent history. Japan was the
    sworn enemy of the United States of America some 60 years ago. My
    dad fought against the Japanese. I suspect
    somebody in this crowd might have fought against the Japanese. I know
    somebody's relative fought against the Japanese. They were the sworn
    enemy of the United States of America, and it was a brutal war. All war
    is brutal, and we suffered a lot in that war. Families were disrupted.
    Loved ones were lost. Hearts were broken.
        And after World War II, Harry S. Truman, one of my predecessors,
    believed that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally. And so he
    set policy to say we'll help Japan become a democracy.
        Now, there were a lot of skeptics in America about that, and you can
    understand why, about that decision. ``Why would you want to help an
    enemy,'' some probably said. ``How could an enemy possibly become a
    peaceful, self-governing nation? These people can't be a democracy,''
    others would say. There was enormous skepticism.
        But my predecessor and others had belief. And as a result of
    believing that liberty could transform an enemy into an ally, I now sit
    down at the table with my friend Prime Minister Koizumi, talking about how to keep the peace we all want,
    talking about how to make this troubled world a more stable, peaceful
    place.
        Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly
    elected leader from Iraq, and they will be talking about the peace in
    the Middle East, and our children and our grandchildren will be better
    off for it.
        I believe people want to live in a free society. I believe women in
    the Middle East want to live in freedom. I know moms and dads want to
    raise their children in a free and peaceful world. I believe millions
    plead in silence for their liberty. And I believe this not because
    freedom is America's gift to the world; I believe this because

    [[Page 2620]]

    freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        I'm running again because I want to make sure hope and opportunity
    spread throughout the land, through good economic policy, through
    encouraging ownership for all people in our society. I'm running again
    because I hold certain values dear that I think are important for this
    country. And I'm running again because I fully understand the risks we
    face, and I have a strategy to protect the American people.
        We're going to win on November the 2d, with your help. May God bless
    you. May God bless our great country. Thank you all for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:10 p.m. in the Rochester Aviation Hangar
    at Rochester International Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Mary
    Gutknecht, wife of Representative Gilbert W. Gutknecht; Gov. Tim
    Pawlenty of Minnesota; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; senior
    Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; and Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan.